Display carton



March 15, 1955 H. R. GOEBEL EI'AL 2,704,180

DISPLAY CARTON Filed Jan. 16. 1952 s Sheets-Sheet 1' E IN V EN TORS'.

March 15, 1955 H. R. GOEBEL ETAL 2,704,180

DISPLAY CARTON Filed Jan. 16, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN 0R5. Hen/g)?Gae deal ye 2?. Kay" M W,m%%w

QE -u H. R. GOEBEL ET AL DISPLAY CARTON 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 16.1952 9 a Q 3 3 9 Q 2 x w Q l a Q Q Q Wm iI l 2 L ZN g W 1., J M f X M M7? q 2 M M a a. m a. a. 0 a 2 Q Ma 2 a. Mm LIT. W Z .3 h. a J 3 w wINVENTORS. ii. Goefief BY Geo/ye f2 United States Patent DISPLAY CARTONHenry R. Goebel, Daly City, and George R. Karr, El Sobrante, Calif.,assignors to Container Corporation of America, Chicago, 1ll., acorporation of Delaware Application January 16, 1952, Serial No. 266,708

4 Claims. (Cl. 229-36) :This invention relates to containers or cartons,and has to do more particularly with paper board cartons provided withopenings or windows for display of the contents thereof.

Our invention is directed to the provision of a paper board displaycarton formed from a one-piece blank of paper board and which may beproduced at comparatively low cost. The carton of our invention is ofgenerally boxlike formation with a cover having an opening and atransparent closure therefor providing a window for display of thecontents of the carton. The end walls of the carton comprise interlockedend panels and are inclined or sloped upwardly and rearwardly of thecarton for a substantial portion of their width, the cover having aninclined portion seating on the inclined portions of the end walls, formore effective display of the contents of the carton. We provide novelmeans for retaining the end panels of the carton interlocked and forretaining the inclined portion of the cover seated, when the cover is inits normal closed position. The cover also includes an upper or topportion which seats on the upper edges of the remaining uninclinedportions of the end walls. We provide lock flaps cooperating with thetop portion of the cover and with elements of the end wall panels and ofthe inclined or sloping portion of the cover, effective for retainingthe end panels in interlocking engagement and for retaining the lower orinclined portion of the cover seated. In one form of our invention theback wall of the carton is also inclined, to more effectively displaythe contents thereof, as will be explained later. The carton of ourinvention is particularly suitable for containing and displayingdoughnuts and will be shown and described as used for that purpose,though in its broader aspects it may be used for various purposes. Afurther feature of importance of our invention is the provision of airflow openings permitting free circulation of air through the carton andabout the contents thereof. That is of particular importance in respectto glazed doughnuts which, if enclosed within a container withoutprovision for free circulation of air, are apt to sweat with resultantmelting or flowing of the glaze thereof, thus detracting from theirappearance and saleability. The wall panels of the carton of ourinvention are connected together along fold lines and selected ones ofthe fold lines are serrated for portions thereof thus providing air flowopenings located at or adjacent the bottom of the carton, as well asopenings located a substantial distance above the bottom, whereby freecirculation of air through the carton is assured. Further, by serratingportions of the fold lines, bending of the paper board about those foldlines is facilitated so that setting up of the carton is expedited.Further objects and advantages of our invention will appear from thedetail description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank from which the carton of ourinvention is produced;

Figure 2 is an end view, on an enlarged scale, of the carton inpartially set-up condition, showing the step of inserting the retainingtongue of one of the end wall panels through the slit in another endwall panel;

Figure 3 is an end view of the carton, on the same scale as Figure 2,illustrating the step of inserting the cover retaining flap through theslit in one of the end wall panels;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the carton in its fully set-up and closedcondition, with the cover partly broken away and in section;

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Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a front view of the carton of Figure 4, fully closed andloaded with doughnuts;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a blank for producing a modified form of acarton embodying our invention; and

Figure 8 is an end view, on an enlarged scale, of the carton producedfrom the blank of Figure 7, with the cover closed.

The carton shown in Figures 2 to 6, inclusive, is produced from theblank of Figure 1. That blank is a single piece blank cut from a sheetof paper board and is suitably cut and scored to provide a bottom wallpanel 10, a back wall panel 11 attached along a fold line to the backedge of panel 10, a front wall panel 12 of materially less height thanthe panel 11 and a cover 13 hinged to the upper edge of the front wallpanel 12 along a fold line. The cover 13 comprises a lower panel 14, anupper panel 15 hinged along a fold line to the upper edge of panel 14,and a tuck flap 16 hinged to the rearward edge of the upper cover panel15. The panel 15 is disposed at the top of the completely set up andclosed carton and may be referred to as the top panel. The cover 13 isprovided with an opening 17 of substantial area over which is secured asheet 18 of cellophane or other suitable transparent material, providinga window through which the doughnuts or contents of the carton arereadily visible. The tuck flap 16 is notched out at each end to providetabs 20 at the ends of panel 15 and is also provided with a centralnotch 21 of considerable extent extending from its outer or lower end;the purpose of which will be described more fully presently. In theabove description the various elements of the blank have been describedwith reference to the positions which they occupy in the completely setup carton, and the remaining elements of the blank will also bedescribed in like manner, with a view to avoiding confusion.

The back wall panel 11 has attached to each end thereof, along a foldline, an inner end wall panel 29 having an upwardly and rearwardlyinclined upper edge 22. A lock flap 23 is attached along a fold line tothe upper edge of panel 29, flap 23 being notched out at its rearwardedge to provide a locking tab 24. The panel 29 is provided with anupwardly extending slit 25 and the lock flap 23 is provided with a slit26 constituting an extension of the slit 25. The back wall panel 11 isalso provided, at 1ts midlength, with two parallel slits extending ashort distance downward from its upper edge defining a tongue 27, whichcooperates with the portion of the tuck flap 16 above notch 21 thereoffor holding the tuck flap 16 in its inserted position in the carton, aswill be explained more fully later. The bottom wall panel 10 isprovided, at each end thereof, with an interior end wall panel 28attached thereto along a fold line. Outer end wall panels 30 areattached to the ends of the front wall panel 12, along fold lines, thepanels 30 having a maximum height approximately the same as the heightof the back wall panel 11 and the inner end wall panels 29. Each of thepanels 30 is provided, for a portion of its width, with an upwardlyandrearwardly inclined upper edge 31 of approximately the same width orextent from front to back of the carton as the width of the lower panel14 of cover 13. Each of the panels 30 is further provided, at the upperrearward portion thereof, with a retaining tongue 32 defining with therearward edge of panel 30 a down wardly opening notch 33, from the upperend of which extends a short arcuate slit 34. Retaining flaps 35 areattached to the ends of the lower cover panel 14, along fold lines, theupper and the lower edges of the flaps 35 being parallel with theinclined upper edge 31 of the outer end panels 30. Portions of the foldlines between the bottom wall panel 10 and the back and front wallpanels 11 and 12, and between the panels 11 and 29 and 10 and 28, areserrated at 36. The serrated areas 36 of the fold lines provide air flowopenings when the blank is folded into carton form, as will be explainedmore fully ater.

In order to produce the carton from the blank of Figure 1, the interiorend wall panels 28 are folded upward into positions perpendicular to thebottom wall panel 10, the back wall panel 11 is folded upward intoposition perpendicular to the bottom wall panel 10, and the inner endwall panels 29 are then folded forward at right angles to the back wallpanel 11 extending forwardly therefrom in overlapping relation to thepanels 28. The outer end wall panels 30 and the retaining flaps 35 arethen foldedinto position extending rearwardly from the front wall panel12 and the lower cover panel 14, respectively, and the front wall panel12 is then swung rearward so as to insert the lower portions of theretaining tongues 32 through the slits 25 of the inner end wall panels29 as in Figure 2. At that time, the lock flaps 23 are in verticalposition providing upward extensions of the panels 29. The front wallpanel 12 is then swung rearward into position seating on the front edgesof the interior panels 28, thereby fully inserting the retaining tongues32 through the slits 25, the upper portions of the tongues 32 alsopassing through the slits 26 of the lock flaps 23. The inner and outerend wall panels 29 and 30 are then interlocked, as in Figure 3, andprovide, together with the interior end panels 28, the end walls of thecarton. The cover 13 is then swung rearward about its hinge or fold lineconnection to the upper edge of the front wall panel 12, with theretaining flaps 35 inserted between the upper portions of the inner andouter end wall panels 29 and 30. In this rearward swinging movement ofthe cover, the retaining flaps 35 enter the slits 25 and also passthrough the slits 26, the lock flaps 23 remaining in their verticalposition shown in Figure 3. The rearward swinging movement of cover 13continues until panel 14 thereof seats on the upwardly and rearwardlyinclined edges 31 of the outer end panels 30, at which time theretaining flaps 35 have been fully inserted through the slits 25, aspermitted by the slits 26, and are then positioned at the inner faces ofpanels 30, and, at their rearward portion, at the inner faces of thepanels 29. The upper edges of the retaining tongues 32 and of theretaining flaps 35 are then approximately flush with the upper edges ofthe rearward portions of the panels 29 and 30, as in Figure 5.

As will be noted from Figures 3 and 5, the retaining tongues 32 and theretaining flaps 35, when fully inserted throu h the slits 25 as abovedescribed, extend a substantial distance rearward bevond slits 25 andbeyond the forward edges of the lock flaps 23. The lock flaps 23 arethen folded downward and inward into position extending inward from theend walls of the carton and overlying the tongues 32 and flaps 35,restraining them against withdrawal and locking the end wall assembliestogether. The doughnuts or other articles may then be placed within thecarton, after which the top panel 15 of cover 13 is swung downwa'rdtsoas to seat on the upper edges of the end wallsg the tuck flap 16 beinginserted downwardly between the lock flaps 35 and the upper portion ofthe back wall panel 11, with the tongue 27 at the inner face of theportion of the tuck flap 16 above the notch 21. Tongue 27 is then sprunginward to a certain extent and causes bulging outward to a slightextent, in notch 21, of the corresponding area of tuck flap 16,effective for retaining the cover in closed position. As the top panel15 of cover 13 is ressed downward into its fully seated position, thetabs 24 spring upward into the notches provided by the tabs 20 so as tooverlie the end portions of the upper edge of the tuck flap 16,providing means supplementary to the tongue 27 for holding the coverclosed. Obviously, if desired, in placing articles, such as doughnuts,within the carton, the doughnuts may be placed inside of the cartonafter the retaining tongues 32 have been fully inserted through theslots 25, the cover 13 being swung forward about its hinged connectionto the upper edge of the front wall panel 12 so as to provide anunobstructed o ening for placing of the dou hnuts in the carton.Thereafter, the retaining flaps 35 are inserted through slits 25, thelocking flaps 23 are folded downward and inward and the cover is fullyclosed in the manner above described. It will be seen that in the fullyclosed position of cover 13, top panel 15 thereof retains the lock flaps23 in their folded locking condition and cooperates therewith forretaining the end wall panels 29 and 30 locked together and alsoretaining the lower cover panel 14 seated on the inclined upper edgeportions of the end walls. The window in the cover is thus inclined forthe major portion of its width so as to display to best advantage thecontents of the carton, as will be clearly seen from Figure 6.

The serrated portions of the fold lines between the panels of the cartonprovide, in the set up carton, openings 37 at the ends and the front andback of the bottom thereof, and openings 38 at the ends of the backabove the bottom wall. The openings 37 and 38 permit free circulation ofair through the carton effective for preventing sweating of glazeddoughnuts or other articles within the carton. The serrations 36 alsofacilitate folding of the panels of the blank into their properpositions in setting up the carton.

The blank of Figure 7 is substantially the same as the blank of Figure land the various elements of the blank of Figure 7 have been indicated bythe same reference numbers, with the exponent a added, as thecorresponding elements in Figure l. The blank of Figure 7 1s set up inthe same manner as the blank of Figure l, to produce the carton shown inFigure 8. This carton is substantially the same as the carton shown inFigures 2 to 6, inclusive, except that in Figure 8 the back wall panel11a is inclined upward and rearward and the top panel 15a of the cover13a is appreciably wider than the top panel 15 of the cover 13 inFigures 2 to 6, inclusive. Inclining the back wall panel 11a upwardlyand rearwardly increases the interior width of the carton, which is wellsuited for receiving larger or over-sized doughnuts. With the exceptionsabove noted, the carton of Figure 8, and the blank of Figure 7 fromwhich that carton is produced, are substantially the same as the blankand the carton of Figures 1 to 6, inclusive, and further descriptionthereof is not necessary.

We claim:

1. In a paper board display carton, a box-like body comprising a bottomwall panel and front and back wall panels connected at their lower edgesto said bottom wall panel along fold lines, end walls respectivelycomprising an end wall panel extending forwardly from said back wallpanel and an end wall panel extending rearwardly from said front wallpanel, the latter being of materially less height than said back wallpanel and said end wall panels being of substantially greater heightthan said front wall panel, the upper edges of said end wall panelsbeing inclined for a portion of the width thereof upwardly andrearwardly from saidfront wall panel, the respective back wall end wallpanels having an upwardly extending slit therein and said front wall endwall panels having rearwardly extending and downwardly directedretaining tongues extending through and below said slits, a covercomprising a lower panel hinged to the upper edge of said front wallpanel and seating on the inclined portions of the upper edges of saidend wall panels and a top panel hinged to the upper edge of said lowerpanel, lock flaps hinged to the remaining portions of the upper edges ofsaid back wall end wall panels and folded into locking positionextending inward therefrom, said lock flaps being provided with slitsconstituting extensions of said back wall end wall panel slits, andretaining flaps extending from the ends of said lower cover panelrearwardly through said back wall end wall panel slits, said lock flapsoverlying said retaining flaps and said tongues and restraining themagainst upward movement, said top panel seating on the upper faces ofsaid lock flaps and retaining them in locking position.

2. In a paper board display carton, a box-like body comprising a bottomwall panel and front and back wall panels connected at their lower edgesto said bottom wall panel along fold lines, end walls respectivelycomprising an end wall panel extending forwardly from said back wallpanel and an end wall panel extending rearwardly from said front wallpanel, the latter being of materially less height than said back wallpanel and said end wall panels being of substantially greater heightthan said front wall panel, the upper edges of said end wall panelsbeing inclined for a portion of the width thereof upwardly andrearwardly from said front wall panel, said front wall end wall panelshaving retaining elements downwardly engageable with and upwardlydisengageable from said back wall end wall panels for holdin said endwall panels together, a cover comprising a lower panel hinged to theupper edge of said front wall panel and seating on the inclined portionsof the upper edges of said end wall panels and a top panel hinged to theupper edge of said lower panel, lock flaps hinged to the remainingportions of the upper edge of said back wall end wall panels and foldedinto locking position extending inward therefrom, and retaining flapsextending rearward from the ends of said lower cover panel, said lockflaps overlying said retaining flaps and said retaining elements andrestraining them against upward movement, said top panel seating on theupper faces of said lock flaps and retaining them in locking position.

3. In a paper board display carton, a box-like body comprising front andback wall panels, inner end wall panels extending forwardly from theends of said back wall panel and respectively provided with upwardlyextending slits, outer end wall panels extending rearwardly from theends of said front wall panel and provided with retaining tonguesextending through and downwardly beyond said slits, said front wallpanel being of materially less height than said back wall panel and saidinner and outer end wall panels overlapping at their inner portions andtogether constituting end walls, the upper edges of said end wall panelsbeing inclined for a portion of the width thereof upwardly andrearwardly from the upper edge of said front wall panel, a covercomprising a lower panel hinged to the upper edge of said front wallpanel and seating on the inclined upper edge portions of said end wallpanels and a top panel hinged to the upper edge of said lower panel,retaining flaps extending from the ends of said lower cover panelrearward between said end wall panels and through said slits, and lockflaps hinged to the remaining portions of the upper edges of said innerend wall panels and provided with slits constituting extensions of theslits in said inner end wall panels, said lock flaps being folded intolocking position extending inward from said inner end wall panels andoverlying said tongues and retaining flaps, said top panel seating onthe upper faces of said lock flaps and retaining them in lockingposition.

4. In a paper board display carton, a box-like body comprising a bottomwall panel, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined back wall panel attachedat its lower edge to said bottom wall panel along a fold line, a frontwall panel of materially less height than said back wall panel attachedat its lower edge to said bottom wall panel along a fold line, inner endwall panels extending forwardly from the ends of said back wall paneland respectively provided with upwardly extending slits, outer end wallpanels extending rearwardly from the ends of said front wall panel andprovided with retaining tongues extending through and downwardly beyondsaid slits, said inner and outer end wall panels overlapping at theirinner portions and together constituting end walls, the upper edges ofsaid end wall panels being inclined for a portion of the width thereofupwardly and rearwardly from said front wall panel, a cover comprising alower panel hinged to the upper edge of said front wall panel andseating on the inclined upper edge portions of said end wall panels anda top panel hinged to the upper edge of said lower panel, retainingflaps extending from the ends of said lower cover panel rearward betweensaid end wall panels and through said slits, and lock flaps hinged tothe remaining portions of the upper edges of said inner end wall panelsand provided with slits constituting extensions of the slits in saidinner end wall panels, said lock flaps being folded into lockingposition extending inward from said inner end wall panels and overlyingsaid tongues and retaining flaps, said top panel seating on the upperfaces of said lock flaps and retaining them in locking position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,929,490 Golden Oct. 10, 1933 2,146,833 McAleer Feb. 14, 1939 2,406,254Ringler Aug. 20, 1946 2,553,870 Samsing May 22, 1951

